Siegel's first novel, Derailed, was a gripping example of an everyman caught in a dangerous web of credible danger, but it fell apart at the end owing to a surfeit of coincidences. The movie will soon be with us (with Clive Owen in the white-collar executive part). His new book confirms his forte for plunging normal, recognisable characters into situations they cannot control and twists the screw with gleeful sadism. A childless American couple visit Colombia to adopt a baby only to find themselves pawns in a revolutionary struggle, and the husband forced to become a drugs mule to save the life of his wife and newly acquired child. The inevitability of things going very badly wrong weighs heavily on the book's atmosphere, what with crooked lawyers, Russian mafia and rightwing dictators pulling invisible strings in the background. A savage thriller that pulls at the heartstrings, like Harlan Coben without the sentimentality.

Strange Blood, by Lindsay Ashford (Honno, £6.99)

Female investigators are still steadily coming off the crime production line, even if their heyday is now past and classic sleuthettes such as Grafton's McCone or Paretsky's Warshawski are in dire need of literary botox. But the demand is still strong, and forensic psychologist Megan Rhys is a useful and credible addition to the canon in this second novel in an interesting and gritty series published by a small Welsh feminist publisher. Called in by the police to help in what appears to be a ritual killing, Rhys soon finds herself strongly at odds with local prejudices and a male-dominated police force with a powerful and influential agenda. Meanwhile, more women are found dead and Rhys, spurned even by her own family, is forced to take increasing personal risks. Patricia Cornwell has patented the persona of the doughty heroine who bucks the system, but former BBC journalist Ashford is closer to her personal demons. A worthy new talent.

Hidden River, by Adrian McKinty (Serpent's Tail, £9.99)

McKinty's debut, Dead I May Well Be, was a major achievement but his second novel takes a leap into even more rarefied company and promotes the US-resident Irish author into the premier league of crime. Former Northern Ireland policeman Alex Lawson, battling heroin addiction and vengeful past colleagues, is called to Colorado to delve into the murder of an ex-girlfriend. Like every classic private eye novel, this becomes a personal quest for redemption as he quickly uncovers a veritable nest of vipers among Victoria's former employer, friends and acquaintances. So far, so ersatz Chandler, but McKinty and his melancholy character weave a poignant web of despair and intrigue as Lawson struggles to uncover the truth while also attempting to evade both the Colorado and the Ulster police forces. The laconic but lyrical voice and downbeat humour will seduce you and mark McKinty out as a true original. Memorable.

Drama City, by George Pelecanos (Orion, £12.99)

Once again, Pelecanos treads the Washington DC soft shoe shuffle with assurance and pathos. Despairing characters flit across the drug saturated streets of the US capital in a wonderful, if tragic, waltz of despair. Lorenzo Brown, straight from a stretch in prison, is a dog inspector and determined to stay clean and free. Rachel Lopez, his parole officer, buries her pain in rough sex and anonymous bar pick-ups. Around them dance a motley crew of petty villains and would-be drug kingpins, until a spark is accidentally lit and lives are systematically destroyed. Pelecanos's view of life has always been bleak and this is no exception, but he displays such a ferocious understanding of street reality and an empathy for America's downtrodden that his books transcend their pulp origins. Rumour is that this will be his last novel for some time, as his US publishers want him to soft pedal on the social comment. Savour while you can.

· Maxim Jakubowski's latest book is Best British Mysteries 2005 (Allison & Busby).